The things we dont' talk, or blog about

So, in my idle time here in the south gulf, I've been thinking. In these blogs, and you know what I'm talking about, yes, I mean you. There are subjects, issues not discussed. I have a proposal: let's talk about them. Mano

Texas Dinner (my version)

First, the weather. WhenThe I got here on Monday it was cloudy and quite cool by local standards, and a brisk wind. Today started off overcast, looking like rain even, then the clouds cleared mostly out and the sun came out. I changed to a short-sleeved shirt, it was 78f in the shade. Met a couple locals, got tips on fishing from the shore and where to go, found a place where my Onstar system could make calls and called Emily.

This evening I'm having tamales, pinto beans, and tortillas. I found a tamale joint in town yesterday, bought a dozen small pork tamales, and they were selling fresh tortillas they had just made. Some pinto beans, with some green chilies and garlic added, and that's dinner. The tamales have an aroma drift off that makes my nose weep. Literally. They seemed to be saturated with some red chili oil, that stains the fingers.

I'll start the beans soon, cook them down to let the green chiles and garlic absorb, steam the tamales and warm the tortillas.

The sunset here is around 5:30pm, get's dark quickly. Time to hunker down for another evening in south Texas. Wish y'all were here.

Fishing

You'd think with a nom de guerre like Should Fish More, I'd have more entries about fishing, wouldn't you? In fact, if you've followed either of my blogs, I rarely post about angling. In 60 years of fishing, I think I've either heard or said damn near everything there is to say. Every rhapsodical, philosophizing, complaining, bragging, this is better or more important than life it's self thing there is to say or write. At this point in my life, it's enough for me to say I enjoy it, and my time on the water. In fact, at times I've gone out to the Big Hole and simply sat and watched the water for a couple hours. Catching another couple trout after the 10's of thousands I've caught is not a priority. And while I rarely keep a fish, I've heard more than enough from those who think releasing every fish is a moral imperative, and is a pathway to good karma.  

Hmmm, it appears I've digressed. 

Hey, I went fishing today! My neighbors here at the camp have a boat, they invited me out with them this morning in the gulf, and I gladly accepted. Bill and Linda are both around my age, and from this part of the world. We went out for about 4 hours and roamed this part of the huge bay between the Texas mainland and Padre Island. I was very surprised at how shallow it is; at times we were zooming over long flats of less than a foot of water. 

Some pictures:

Heading out of the harbor

Out in the bay

We fished in 4 or 5 different area's, depth ranging from around a foot to three feet deep. We used jigs, and I cast a spinning rod for the first time in years. It was fun, and I found that motor-muscle memory is true; by the third cast I was putting it out a hundred feet. 

Oh yeah, almost forgot. We didn't catch a thing, not even a bite. It was so much fun to be out on the water, smelling the salt gulf that it was unimportant. Bill said it was unusual to not catch anything, and he wants company on more trips. I'm up for it. As a consolation prize they gave me some sea trout fillets from their last trip a couple days ago, so despite catching nothing, I'm having fresh fish tonight. 

Cheers all,

Mike 

Port Mansfield, TX, BBQ and 'Tahta Salad

I decided to stay here a week. The sun is out today, first time since I've been in this state. And....wait for it....there's fishing here! Yep, sea trout, whatever they are, something called redfish...all catchable from shore. So tomorrow, a-fishing I go. All less than a mile from here. Another factor in my staying is a couple hundred yards down the road there's a BBQ place, that was closed until today. Sweet Gregory P's Smokehouse. I had breakfast there (fine eggs and bacon, nearly as good as the BS in Butte), and decided to get some takeout for dinner tonight.

At 4pm I went back, decided on brisket and ribs, with a side of potato salad. The brisket and ribs came, looked wonderful. Then the waitress put out the potato salad, in a styrofoam bowl, and I looked at it. The styrofoam bowl was as it should be, but it looked like mashed potatoes mixed with maybe some green onions and perhaps mustard. Ever the diplomat, I asked "What's this?" pointing at the bowl. "Tahta salad." she replied. Wanting clarification, I said "No it's not."

The two waitress' looked at each other. "What is it, then?" one asked, clearly wanting to engage in dialog. "Mashed potatoes." I said, helping further the exchange. They looked at each other. "Where you from?" the first rather pointedly asked. I wondered if this might be taking a wrong turn, somehow. "Montana." I replied civilly. More looks were exchanged between the two women. "A Yankee." the first said knowingly. To which the other replied "No, that's like from Canada."

At this point, Gregory came out from a back room. "Hells going on?" he asked, at least that's what I think he said, the local dialect is sometimes difficult to understand. The two waitress talked at the same time for a minute, Gregory seemed to take it in and looked at me. "Want a beer?" he asked.

I left a bit later, intact and with some excellent bbq. And the Tahta Salad ain't bad.

I never question the food in a restaurant, my girls can attest to that.

3 days and 1000 miles

Port Mansfield, Texas. I've been on the road now since 1 October, and logged a lot of miles. My goal, for whatever reason, has been get to the Gulf of Mexico. Seemed right, somehow. Three days ago, with Montana-like conditions forecast for Bisbee, I decided to hit the road and outrun the cold front. Saturday I got to Van Horn Tx, and the next day to just north of Laredo. Today, I made the trip to here.

What had I expected? Not sure, but probably something along the line of laying on a beach, drinks with little umbrellas, stuff like that. What have I found? (Yes, it's still early in the trip, and I expect it'll change...)

Deer. Whitetail deer. Place is overrun with the buggers. The community of Port Mansfield (calling it a town is a stretch) is an area that was designated as an animal sanctuary, donated by one of the King family, of the King ranch clan. The picture was taken about 30 feet from my truck camper.

A couple pictures of the port, and gulf:

It's currently around 55f, which has the local's dismayed. Once I found this place in a book I called, and after a friendly chat in which I said "no, I can't repair dryers", the owner said I could stay for cheap, even though I can't repair household appliances.

I foraged in Raymondville on 77, and found fresh tortillas, local lettuce and avacados (huge, and 2 for a buck), and some decent looking fajita beef skirt steak. And a huge papaya for breakfast, with a couple limes to dress it.

My impression of Texas has not improved on the drive here; the many long miles on I10 were the same scenery, and intermittent rain. I've seen enough mesquite to last a lifetime. And mesa's, as neat as they may be. Perhaps the drive north from here, past Huston on the seaward side, will change my mind.

It's windy tonight, cool by local standards, and the weather looks iffy for the next few days. I may just wait it out here, and get Kate to help research my trip north.

Art

There is an artist-in-residence of sorts here, a gentleman camped nearby, Glen Hanson. He's done many things in a wide-ranging life, and is currently creating bead art on tanned elk hide. He presented his latest to me yesterday, and we negotiated. It took him three weeks of 4 to 6 hour days, and is comprised of 13+ thousand beads. I was attracted to it because it reminds me of some Navajo and Hopi art I have.

It's now hanging on the back wall of the camper

At home, it should go well above a bowl I have made by Violet Huma

It's onward tomorrow morning, so I'll post again as may be.

Cheers all

Wind

It's now been exactly 2 months since I left Butte. Seems like longer, and an age since I was in Seattle.

Today is my girls birthday, both born on 1 December, some years apart. Kate was less than thrilled to share her birthday for a couple hours, but they now refer to it as "our birthday". Great people, both of them, and the joys of my life.

It's windy, starting around 5 this morning. The camper is rocking like a ship in a storm. I've battened down any hatch I can, and am reading or surfing the web. Here's the Canadian camper across the road:

The skies are cloudless, but that's supposed to change by evening, and snow is forecast for tomorrow and Saturday. Not what I signed up for, it's what I'm trying to avoid this winter.

I'm thinking about heading over across New Mexico on Saturday, perhaps going as far as either Big Bend Nat'l Park, or even Laredo. It's the closest I can see where it's warmer.

My friend Glen came over this morning for coffee and to listen to MPR, and I plan to hole up for the rest of the day.

Cheers, all and sundry.